Her eyelids fluttered.

Two familiar faces stared down at her sleepy figure. Before she could figure out exactly who they were, a voice almost gave her a heart attack.

“Grandma!!! You’re alive!”

She recognized its pattern. That bubbly tone earned a groan from the numb woman. Since they met, that child couldn’t let go of the nickname. It fit her perfectly in that moment – she could barely stand up and required the child’s aid. Her fingertips brushed over a blanket that helped her preserve heat.

“Sooyoung!”

The woman did not expect another voice. There was a slight possibility she knew its possessor, but she couldn’t base her assumptions just on noises her ears picked. With great care, she focused her eyes on the two faces. The child pulled her to his chest, his breath softly tickling her skin. Daesung bit his lips, unsure if he should manifest his joy through unfiltered sentences or keep his cool until Sooyoung would give a sign of health. He’d been worried to death and that, as he had learnt from his previous life, was never something to joke about. Yuri released a sigh she had  been holding for hours. Her hand slowly reached to the medallion fixed on a thin chain – the one she collected after Sooyoung’s disappearance.

“Ya!” Sooyoung finally found strength in her vocal chords. “Get off! Want me to punch you?!”

The blonde did as told and dangerously dangled at the bed’s edge. Tears formed at the corners of his eye. He rubbed it and shook his head with disapproval.

“Grandmaaaaa,” he whimpered and let his head hang low in front of Sooyoung “Just smack me!!! Anything! I want to know if you’re real!”

“What are you talking about?” Sooyoung frowned. She pressed her hand on Daesung’s head and ruffled his already messy hair. “What happened?”

“We don’t know. You just... disappeared.” Yuri was having a hard time choosing her words.

“For three years.” Daesung blurted as he collected himself and jumped off the bed. Sooyoung gazed around to acknowledge her surroundings. It looked like a hospital room. “Grandma... you’re not a reaper, are you?” Daesung added afterwards with doe-eyes staring right at Sooyoung’s unusual attics.

“The ?” Sooyoung suddenly said and promptly rolled her eyes. “Who’s a reaper? I’m human, you idiot!”

“Sooyoung...” Yuri interrupted their little chat. “I’m sorry.”

“No sweat,” Sooyoung waved her hand and smiled after “You had a bad day, that’s it.”

Yuri followed Daesung’s example and embraced her.

“My daughter, I can’t believe... I can’t believe what I’ve done.”

“Awww!” Daesung cooed as he joined the hug.

“ARGH, GET OFF, BOTH OF YOU!” Sooyoung whined. The pressure was too much for her recovering body.

---

“How can she eat so much?” Yuri mumbled as Daesung shrugged it off.

“How can she eat so much and not choke...” he trailed off and figured he wasn’t far from that either, so it wasn’t really the best to judge another.

Sooyoung poured a tall glass of water down , her lips and blissfully clapped. “Alright, what’s for desert?”

“Croissants with chocolate~” Daesung grinned and placed a bag with the well-known pâtisserie logo on it. Sooyoung fetched her promised delicacy from inside and shred the baked dough with hunger.

“So, I disappeared,” Daesung and Yuri nodded “Then how come I’m here?”

“Three days ago,” Yuri took the croissant away from a protesting Sooyoung “you fell from the sky. Someone found you and we came as fast as possible to see what happened.” She ate it as Sooyoung pouted. “Oh, this is good!”

“Duh...” Sooyoung sighed. She motioned for Daesung to spread the curtains apart. She was afraid to see what was outside, but she was too curious. The blonde rushed to the window and let natural light flood in. “It snowed!” Sooyoung shouted and crawled on her all fours towards the window.

“Erm, grandma...” Daesung coughed.

“What do you want?” Sooyoung snapped as she saw the entire city covered in pure snow.

“I can see your .”

“EHHH?” Sooyoung turned her head to them and noticed she was dressed in some kind of extremely short dress which revealed everything from her position. Yuri took the blanket up and threw it over Sooyoung’s bottom.

“You’re my daughter, show some dignity!”

Sooyoung calmly wrapped the blanket around her and apologized through her look.

Yuri glared, only to burst into laughter afterwards.

Sooyoung smiled.

---

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Daesung asked as he handed her a cup of tea. Sooyoung watched the evening sun dipping the clouds in an unusual glow.

“That... thing,” Sooyoung mumbled with on the cup’s edge “wanted to connect the three worlds.” Its steam eased her. “I remember we had a plan. You were supposed to slow Yuri---... I mean, mother down and I...” she stopped and ogled Daesung. “Jung--- father... where’s father?”

Daesung felt silent. Yuri excused her presence in the afternoon, so it was only the two of them. She had some other important stuff to take care of, things Sooyoung knew nothing about. At least, Sooyoung was certain they were honorable this time.

“I... don’t know.” Daesung admitted “All the reapers also disappeared when we woke up. The city was pretty much destroyed because of the attack and I’m still surprised we were able to rebuild it in just three years. Well, not all...” he sighed “There are still homeless people. Ghosts he---”

“Spirits,” she corrected.

“Whatever. They’re helping too. Actually, ever since reapers disappeared, they’re everywhere! I can’t rest anymore, grandma! Look at these bags under my eyes! I’m sooo tired!”

“I don’t see any ghost here,” Sooyoung raised her eyebrows.

“What are you talking about? There’s one that’s been mocking you since you woke up.”

Sooyoung looked to her side.

There was nothing there.

“I can’t see it...” she placed the cup back on its tray.

“Wait, you mean you’ve lost your mojo and all?”

“I don’t know...” she gripped at the blanket “I don’t know anything anymore.”

“Now, don’t tell me you’re going to cry after what you’ve been through!”

Sooyoung and Daesung turned to the door. A tall man was leaning against its frame. He was wearing a scarf around his neck and a large ed black overcoat sprinkled with melting snowflakes. Army boots and black jeans completed his attire. A leer possessed his mouth as black hair covered part of his smoky eyes.

Sooyoung bawled in an instant.

“Woah, woah!” Jung Min ran to her side, pushed Daesung away – who couldn’t suppress the ugly look – and tried to calm down his little girl.

“I hate youuu!” She cried.

“I love you too,” Jung Min snickered.

She smacked him.

Daesung snorted and tried not to show how proud he felt for knowing that would happen. “Amateur.”

---

The pâtisserie was bustling. Customers were so satisfied with what they had to offer, none of them dared pass their steps. It’s been three more days since Sooyoung woke up. Everything was still fuzzy. She could no longer see ghosts, could no longer sense Jung Min’s nasty scent (she didn’t mind that one bit) and Yuri was very serious about her mother role.

Sooyoung was glad at least two things remained the same – Daesung – sort of – and the place where they were warming their frozen hands.

“Don’t you think the owner is cute?” She said absent-mindedly and made Daesung choke on his tea.

“Wha-wha-what? Grandma, the owner is a girl!”

“Exactly!”

“Are you trying to set me up or something?”

“Who said anything about you?”

“But grandmaaa!”

“Love is universal, don’t you think? So I can love whoever and whatever I want.”

“Grandma,” Daesung took Sooyoung’s hands in his palms “You know that I will love you forever, right?”

She smacked him.

“We should really find you someone.”

“But grandmaaa!”

“Oh shu---” Sooyoung cut midway. “A ghost...”

“Eh?” Daesung blinked, confused.

“I can see it... I can see a ghost.”

I had to abandon my little spectacle. The Keeper nicknamed Jaejoong by a human required my assistance.

I love watching humans and their everyday activities – they were fun creatures.

“Is she ready?”

“No, not yet.” Jaejoong answered me.

“Good. Send Jung Min his new mission. Capture the reaper that first regained his memories.”

“Why? He did not...”

“Do not question me, Keeper. It all started with him. We do not want other reapers to remember. And it’s your fault for not controlling that demon. Do not let it repeat itself.” I watched Sooyoung trying to communicate with the lost spirit with Daesung not far behind her. “Take them too.”

“Why her?”

“Don’t you see? There’s no other specimen that survived. She’s the only one.”

The Keeper left in silence.

Oh Sooyoung, you went further that I predicted.

With the new world order being put in motion, I am sure you will fit in perfectly for I am Death and I do not make mistakes.

THE END... or not?